With trips to Maui and Kaua'i on hold, yesterday the Superferry was bound for locations where it could go — the waters off O'ahu. The occasion was the beginning of a weekend of all-expense paid cruises for local military families as a way of showing them they are appreciated.

The company scheduled three 90-minute cruises for yesterday and two more for today.

"The purpose of this is to thank our troops that have served in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the ones we recently learned are going back to serve in the Middle East," said Terry O'Halloran, Superferry director of business development.

O'Halloran said reservations for all five 750-person tours were snapped up in a matter of hours.

John Garibaldi, the company's president and chief executive officer, said even without regularly scheduled service, the Superferry needs to take to the water for maintenance and training. So, last week someone came up with the idea of giving the Islands' military families a ride with all the trimmings over the weekend.

"We have to take her out anyway," said Garibaldi. "This is just combining that with a great way of providing a trip for our local military."

Marine Gunnery Sgt. Demetrio "Joe" Espinosa was one of some 700 folks — nearly 200 of them youngsters — who boarded the colossal craft for the first cruise at 10 a.m.

"We got an e-mail I think on Thursday that went to everybody on base saying there was going to be a military appreciation ride on the Superferry over the weekend," said Espinosa.

Espinosa said he and his wife, Tanya, had looked forward to taking the Superferry on Neighbor Island trips with their kids, Kaitlyn, 10, and Mateo, 8. But with those plans in limbo, Espinosa said he was pleased to have the opportunity to give the kids their first ship ride yesterday. Unfortunately, Tanya was unable to be with them because she had to work.

"This is definitely a better ride than the Gator (amphibious landing craft) I deployed on for six months," said Espinosa, who, like others on board, has served two tours in Iraq and the Middle East. "I can tell you the accommodations are a lot better than they are on a naval ship."

While the Superferry has its detractors, naysayers were next to impossible to find on these ship cruises, which came with all the trimmings gratis — the ride, the food, the drinks.

Air Force Tech Sgt. Andy Hurst, his wife Karina, and the couple's four children had staked out some of the best seats on board — near the very front of the Hahalua Lounge, where the view from the large windows offered a panoramic view from Diamond Head to Kalaeloa.

"This is beautiful," Andy Hurst said of his first experience aboard the Superferry. "We just happened to be among the first people in line and so we got this spot."

As far as Hurst was concerned, the entire Superferry controversy seemed "crazy." He wondered why this vessel was singled out.

"Because if you look at the ships in the harbor here, and all the shipping that's going through the other islands, what is the difference?" he said. "There's hundreds of ships coming to the Islands every day."

Army Chief Warrant Officer Tom Given took the ride on the Superferry with his wife, Jamie, and the couple's two children, Michael, 13, and Alyssa, 9.

Given said he's eagerly awaiting the day when his family can travel to Neighbor Islands on the Superferry. And he believes the Superferry should be allowed to operate during the time a court-ordered environmental impact statement is being conducted.

Another traveler on the first cruise was Tig Krekel, vice chairman of J.F. Lehman & Company, the Superferry's largest investor. Kerkel likened the struggle to keep the Superferry afloat in Hawai'i to "wrestling a tiger to the ground."

Asked if the company had to do it over again, what would it do differently, Kerkel said he preferred not to comment on the hypothetical. However, he did say the company is cautiously optimistic about the outcome of any special legislative session trying to resolve the Superferry dilemma.

"Over all these years — because this has been a multiyear project — we have really made our best effort to follow every rule and follow every procedure that we can," Kerkel said. "We feel that we did everything we could to do it right.

"The Legislature is trying to deal with a very complex situation. And they've put a very good solution forward on it."

Meanwhile, Maura Grey, a Superferry ship steward, said she considered herself fortunate just to be working yesterday.

"We are ecstatic to be doing this today — to be going under way, and to be doing what we were hired and trained to do," said Grey, who works 20 hours a week part-time. "And what a great way to honor these folks than by taking them for a spin."

With its future unclear, and faced with daily mounting expenses, the company laid off 249 of Grey's colleagues on Oct. 11. Grey said she has remained in contact with many who were furloughed.

"They are heartbroken," said Grey. "They are just shattered."

Reach Will Hoover at whoover@honoluluadvertiser.com.